Escape From Tarkov: Complete Guide To Ammo

So, you want to know all about ammo in Escape from Tarkov? Well... You're in for a long ride. Ammo in Tarkov is complicated, multifaceted, and poorly tutorialized. It requires in-game experience to accumulate knowledge in order to utilize it to its full potential. Plus, some extra info from the internet can go a long way to understanding the ammo system.

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There are many aspects to Escape from Tarkov that make it a difficult game for new players, and ammo is one of them. It has little to do with mechanical skill and is mainly about game knowledge. Game knowledge in Tarkov is arguably more important than mechanical skill. As long as you can point and click on other players' foreheads, you'll be okay... Some of the time.

Where To Find Ammo

There are three main ways to accumulate ammo in Escape from Tarkov:

1. Looting while in a raid.
2. Buying from traders.
3. Buying from the flea market.

Let's go into detail about all three. Firstly, you can find any type of ammo while in a raid. You can loot it and bring it back with you to your stash. The better an ammo is, the more difficult it is to find. It will spawn less often or be found in difficult-to-reach places, such as behind locked doors or on the bodies of tough enemies. The easier an ammo type is to find, the less potent it is.

Secondly, you can buy ammo from traders; Prapor, Skier, Mechanic, Fence, Peacekeeper, and Jaeger all sell ammunition. However, they each sell different types of ammunition. Take a look at each trader and see what they sell to get a good idea of who sells what.

Generally speaking, there's a theme in what type of ammo they carry. For example, Prapor sells ammo for Russian weapons, Peacekeeper sells ammo for American weapons, and Jaeger sells ammo for shotguns and sniper rifles. As you progress in reputation with a trader, higher-tier ammo will be unlocked for you to purchase.

Lastly, once unlocked at level 15, the flea marketis a useful way to buy ammunition. You can circumvent the need to have ammo available at a trader or the luck of finding it in game by purchasing it from the flea market. The market has a player-driven economy, so prices tend to be higher there.

Not all ammo types are available to purchase from the flea market. Battlestate Games have taken the option away to sell very high-tier ammo there.

An Intro To Ammo

In Tarkov, different ammo types are only usable by weapons of the same calibre. For example, an M4A1 5.56x45 assault rifle can only use 5.56x45 ammo. This applies to every gun, from SMGs and ARs to shotguns and pistols. For every weapon in Tarkov, you must identify the calibre it uses, then identify an ammo of the same calibre, and use them together.

The screenshots above are an example of a weapon and ammo that can be used together. Each is of 5.45x39 calibre.

To find the calibre of a gun or ammo, look to the bottom left of the item's icon in your stash or double-click to inspect the item, and look at the item's name in the newly opened panel.

There are many ammo calibres present in Tarkov. Each is usable by a wide variety of weapons in the game. Here's a list of the calibres:

12 Gauge Shot/Slug

20 Gauge

23x75mm

9x18mm

7.62x25mm

9x19mm

.45

9x21mm

.357 Magnum

5.7x28mm

4.6x30mm

9x39mm

.366

5.45x39mm

5.45x45mm

7.62x39mm

.300 blk

6.8x51mm

7.62x51mm

7.62x54R

12.7x55mm

338 Lapua Magnum

As you can see, there are a lot of them. Within each calibre category, there are numerous types of ammunition. Remember, not all ammo is made equal.

That's why, when playing, you must pay attention to the ammo you're using and note how effective it is. For example, within the 5.45x39mm calibre, there are 13 different types of ammunition. The higher-tier ammunition will be much better at penetrating armour, and armour penetration is king.

The Attributes Of A Bullet

As mentioned, armour penetration is a key aspect of ammo in Escape from Tarkov. However, that's not the only attribute to be aware of. Here are the main attributes:

Attribute

Description

Flesh Damage

The amount of damage done to limbs and other body areas per bullet.

Armour Penetration

The bullet's ability to penetrate higher classes of body armour.

Fragmentation Chance

A bullet's chance to break and split into different pieces causes more damage.

Recoil Modifier

The bullet's effect on the gun's recoil (the movement of the gun while firing).

Accuracy Modifier

The bullet's effect on the gun's accuracy (the spread of the bullets while firing).

Effective Distance

The maximum distance a bullet can inflict full damage and penetration.

Maximum Headshot Distance

The maximum distance at which a bullet can inflict a headshot.

Velocity

The speed of the bullet after it's shot.

These aren't the only attributes an ammo has; durability burn, ricochet chance, light bleed chance, and heavy bleed chance are a few others. They play a lesser role in moment-to-moment gameplay.

What Ammo Should You Use?

The question that new players often ask themselves is what ammo they should use. It's overwhelming at first because of the variety you'll find and be able to purchase. What ammo is good? What is bad? And does it matter? The short answer is yes, it does matter. But let's add some context.

Ammo plays a big part in whether you win a gunfight. If your opponent has better ammo than you, this likely means they can penetrate your armour more effectively than you can penetrate theirs. That is a deciding factor in gunfights.

Can you still kill an opponent with bad ammo? Absolutely. Any ammo will do the job. You'll just have to find other advantages, such as positioning, surprise, and confusion.

Ammo With Low Penetration

Now, let's talk about ammo that doesn't have good penetration ability. Ammo that doesn't penetrate well can be effective against areas of the body that are unarmoured, like the arms, legs, jaw, eyes, and parts of the torso, depending on what armour your opponent is wearing.

A lot of ammo that doesn't penetrate well does a lot of health damage. So, if you have ammo that isn't very good, aim for the unarmoured portions of the body.

The reason why penetration is important in Tarkov is that, as you level up, accumulate better gear, and have access to higher-tier items from traders, you'll acquire much better ways to protect your character's body. Obviously, this is the same for other players. So, as the wipe progresses, players will have better and better armour, requiring ammo that can pierce through it.

Now, why not just shoot unarmoured areas of the body all the time? This is viable but more difficult. For one, the legs, arms, eyes, and jaw are tiny compared to the torso, so they're harder to hit. Secondly, if you've played plenty of other FPS games before, you've likely trained your aim to go for centre mass or the head, which is usually heavily armoured in Tarkov.

Advice For New Players

As a new player, don't care about what ammo you use. If it's usable with the weapon you have equipped, go for it. Over time, you'll naturally get a feel of what ammo performs better compared to others. Also, there are more important things to focus on when new.

So, make it easier on yourself, and use the ammo you have available to you. Use what you find in a raid and what you can buy.

As you become more comfortable with Tarkov, ammo will become a more important piece of the game. The reality is, that any ammo can kill in Tarkov. Being shot in the eyes by any weapon and ammo will take down your opponent.

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